CHECKING IN: COSTA PACIFICA HOTEL BALER

I tried to put my alarm off at 6:30AM but it kept on snoozing. Then I heard my mom’s voice telling me to get up. It was Sunday and we all agreed the night before to attend the 8AM mass in Cabanatuan City. After taking a shower I had a glass of water then off we went to the church. It was a nice sunny day.

Upon entering the church, my mom was able to spot a seat for the three of us. I was seated next to a family with three young kids who kept on roaming around and pulling their mom’s shirt telling her that they wanted to go home. Probably because they already have what they want – a colored chick. These kids were just like me and my brother when we were also kiddos. I could imagine how my parents felt back in the days. After the mass, we decided to have breakfast at Kapitan Pepe. We were having a casual conversation mostly about ideas and finding opportunities. Then something hit me up – Baler. My dad suggested for us to check out the place after breakfast. After having quite an exhausting week, everyone thought it was a good idea. We went home to pack some clothes and drove all the way to Baler. Three hours later…Hello Baler! It’s nice to be back! It was my third time in Baler and second time with my family. As I always say, I love Baler. It’s the place I’d go back to no matter how many times and still find it beautiful. I have so many first times in Baler and no place could replace it in my heart. Not even Paris.

First things first. Where to stay? I tried to google some hotels while on the road since I’m always in charge of anything travel related. We checked two hotels upon arrival in Sabang Beach, Baler. I found the first one quite sketchy and uncomfortable and the second one average and doesn’t really have any vibe. As usual, my dad gives the best suggestion “Stop wasting time looking for a hotel and check-in wherever you feel, how about Costa Pacifica?”

Location

Costa Pacifica is located along Sabang beach in Baler. It’s very easy to find since it’s one of the first hotels you’ll pass by when driving along Sabang beach plus it’s also probably the biggest accommodation in the area. If I’m not mistaken, the resort consist of three low rise buildings.

Room

We stayed in a Junior Premier room located along the road side. Our room was surprisingly spacious compared to most hotel’s standard rooms. It has two double sized beds and a single sofa bed which was my favorite spot in the room. The beds and pillows were sure to give you a good night’s sleep. It has all the usual hotel amenities like coffee making facility, television, and safety vault. The bathroom was also equipped with hair dryer and towels as well as toiletries which I really liked. Being a marketing graduate that I am, packaging is everything. Costa Pacifica aced it. The Junior Premier room has a sliding glass door that gives access to the veranda overlooking the garden. It’s a nice place to chill but the humidity during our stay was forcing me to stay in the airconditioned room. Overall, our room was simple but tastefully designed. Everything was light with a touch of color, and furnitures were made of wood which perfectly emulate island living in a modern way.

Service

As a walk in guest, I was initially given a published rate which I found very steep. After checking the rates directly at the hotel’s website which was half the published rates, I showed it to the receptionist and she gladly gave me the same rate for the Junior Premier room. While waiting for our room, one of the hotel staff welcomed us with a buko lychee drink. The jelly texture was weird but totally refreshing.

Lifeguard/Security in the pool was very friendly and so are the staff in the restaurant who gave us great recommendation. If there’s one thing I love about the hotel, it’s about extending their policy and allowing pets! I know. I should’ve brought Ellie and Vera but it was such a short notice I have to prepare their food and all the other stuff like cage, etc. Definitely next time!

Food

The Beach House, the hotel’s one and only restaurant serves a variety of Asian and Continental cuisine. We ordered fresh coconut and a margarita pizza during sunset and it was the perfect beach snack. Costa Pacifica prepared a mini buffet for breakfast which consist of soup, fruits, breads and jam and you can have one additional order from the All Day Breakfast menu. I guess the breakfast setup depends on occupancy level of the hotel. I had eggs benedict and my parents tried the beef tapa and sausage. Mine was good. As per my mom, the beef was very fatty. So try to avoid that if you’re on a strict diet.?

Amenities

Unfortunately, the main pool was out of service during our stay which was a bummer. The only pool available was the kids pool. This was actually the main reason I got baffled during check-in. How could the hotel offer me their published rate when one of the most sought after hotel amenity (pool) was our of order? I let it pass since we are in BALER. One of the best surfing spots in the Philippines. The hotel has an accredited surfing instructor located in the area. The name is Charlie Does. Be sure to check them out if you want to go surfing!

The Verdict

Costa Pacifica is no doubt the best designed hotel along Sabang beach. The hotel claims itself as a luxury hotel and it’s easy to see why. Privacy. Local celebrities are usually found in the hotel like ordinary people. However, there are two minor things that could be improved and it’s the room’s bathroom drainage, rust in the corner of the floor tiles and service during check-in. It would be nice if the hotel had the initiative to propose a discounted rate because of the maintenance in the facility. But still, the good outweighs the bad so I would still highly recommend Costa Pacifica to family and friends planning to have a quick getaway in Baler.

This is a beautiful hotel. It’s too bad that their pool was out of order, but good for you for getting the better rate because of that. It’s so important to check out all of the prices listed for places, isn’t it?

I’ve not been to the Philippines, but Baler sure looks beautiful! It’s a shame that some form of compensation wasn’t made for some amenities being out of order – I think small actions like that really make a difference and transform a hotel to truly being classed as ‘luxury’. I can see why Baler is one of your favourite getaways though!

The kids you sat next too at church remind me so much of my own girls at any event when they were small. Pity about the pool, and it’s weird how happy check-in was to give you an outrageous price, but it sounds (and looks ) fantastic overall. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

It looks like a perfect place to chill out at the sea. I love lychees but only as a fruit not as or in a drink. I assume it is 3 hours from Manila which is not very far at all. Perhaps I should check it out during my next visit to Manila.

I am absolutely dying to visit the Philippines and Baler sounds like a must-visit as I love to surf! Your photos of the Costa Pacifica look dreamy but sounds sad that you had a few hiccups during the visit. I agree that if a hotel has construction or something going on that doesn’t allow you access to some facilities, it seems silly to charge full price. Regardless, I’ll have to give them a look when I visit in the future!

Baler sounds like a beautiful location – I can understand why it has captured your heart. Costa Pacifica looks like a beautiful hotel – I love the clean white theme – very upbeat, modern and beachy. Good work on checking the hotel website for pricing – I was a receptionist in a previous life, and yes, walk in’s are seen as an opportunity to get full rack rate, which is often a lot higher than the online rates. Hotels are a business after all too, so they usually have various tiers of rates they can offer you.

Bummer that the pool was out of service, but overall sounds like you had a wonderful family stay 🙂